Solutions Engineer - Incubation

You will be a part of an outstanding technical pre-sales team in our Global Security Sales Organization (GSSO), responsible for driving the success of Cisco’s Security Portfolio and focusing on protecting Customer Application Environments no matter where they live (on-prem / any cloud).

Our mission is simple: democratize security by making it easy and effective for everyone. We’re transforming security from the ground up by solving the world’s most pressing geopolitical challenge — safe, secure information access. We engineer our business to enable our customers to easily address their ever-evolving security challenges.

We believe that impactful work is rewarding work and that our team is at its best when everyone feels empowered to bring their whole self to work. We learn together by hiring for cultural contribution, not cultural fit, and recognize that diversity in background and thought are essential to building high-impact teams.

We invest in growth and learning opportunities and encourage our people to never stop learning. We foster collaboration and believe in being recognized (and rewarded!) for hard work. We champion a healthy work-life balance. We’re kinder than necessary.

Together we build for the future by designing simple solutions for complex problems. And that’s why we’re the most loved and trusted name in security.

Your Impact

You will provide guidance and assist Security Sellers and Account teams within the territory in a pre-sales technical role, showcasing Cisco security product solutions, setting up demonstrations, explaining features and benefits to customers, and designing and configuring products to address specific customer security needs. You will form relationships with our customer’s key decision-makers, positioning Cisco security solutions aligned accurately to their requirements.

As an advisor to the customer, you’ll be working with technology experts to craft architectures and configure products to meet customer-specific needs, are prepared to lead all technical aspects of pre-sales activities, and position security solutions effectively against competing offerings. You are an aggressive starter, self-starter with the ability to build executive relationships, develop and execute sales strategies and tactics that improve Cisco’s opportunity with a customer environment, position and promote the partner and customer value proposition for Cisco security architecture, articulate Cisco’s product and business strategies, and create the demand that makes deals happen! You will:

• Serve as the subject matter expert in Cisco security solutions

• Provide guidance and assist account teams within the territory in building solutions to address specific customer security needs

• Understand business requirements for a customer base and be able to translate them into technical requirements

• Understand and articulate Cisco’s architecture and services within security technologies

• Create, present, and document technical solutions

• Perform in-depth and high-level technical presentations for customers partners and prospects

• Drive identified major account opportunities (i.e. technical consulting, upper-level management presentations, and Cisco technology solutions) while allowing local account teams to maintain long-term ownership

Minimum Qualifications:

You are passionate about the customer experience and excited about new technology. You are a true teammate and love to learn. Being a self-starter, our SEs act as an industry domain authority, and strive to help Cisco make customers for life. Minimum qualifications include:

• Minimum of 6 years of technical sales or pre-sales experience with 4+ years in Security specialization experience with either of below

• Cloud Security: Secure Service Edge and Identity

• Web application security

• Strong understanding of Zero Trust Principles

• Successful quota achievement

• Proven track record of managing and winning technical and high-value IT security projects

Preferred Qualifications

• BS/BA (EE/CS) or equivalent is highly preferred

• Solid presentation and interpersonal skills

• Commercial awareness and strong communication skills

• Highly motivated self-starter who does not need day-to-day management

• Desirable experience with Cisco security technologies, experience with programming languages such as UNIX shell, Perl, or C

• Travel required, Home office based

#WeAreCisco

#WeAreCisco where every individual brings their unique skills and perspectives together to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.

Our passion is connection—we celebrate our employees’ diverse set of backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisconians often experience one company, many careers where learning and development are encouraged and supported at every stage. Our technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, allowing all to not only give their best, but be their best.

We understand our outstanding opportunity to bring communities together and at the heart of that is our people. One-third of Cisconians collaborate in our 30 employee resource organizations, called Inclusive Communities, to connect, foster belonging, learn to be informed allies, and make a difference. Dedicated paid time off to volunteer—80 hours each year—allows us to give back to causes we are passionate about, and nearly 86% do!

Our purpose, driven by our people, is what makes us the worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. Helping our customers reimagine their applications, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals is what we do best. We ensure that every step we take is a step towards a more inclusive future for all. Take your next step and be you, with us!

U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.

Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.